Covid 19 project update and learning from my mistakes...

I am happy to report that things are moving along quite well with the BSA;

I had a couple of minor hiccups that have now been cured, mostly in the fork department.  I don't have photos, however the originals were in horrendous condition.  I could not get the cups off by any method available and had to do minor angle grinder surgery!  Getting the fork tubes out was managed on one of the lowers, however I gave up on the second one.  Luckily I found an appropriate set of lowers advertised as 'BSA Chopper forks' and won them for $30.00 USD on Ebay.

They arrived on Friday and I was able to clean them up and paint them by Sunday.  I used some JB Weld epoxy to fill in some gouges and rough sections on the chrome.

I  also decided to clean up the C11 mudguards with a wire wheel and cut off the bad/bent metal.  By definition, this makes the bike a 'bob job' or 'bobber'.   Being a seriously low budget build, I have to use what I have and buy as little as possible.   Fortunately for me these C11 parts can be very nicely adapted to do the job!

The cut down front mudguard.  I kept the remaining piece (just in case)

a P/O made some indentations for the forks (they were awful)

Front and Rear (rear is a 2-piece part)

The big parts pile did come with a rear hub with an extremely worn down sprocket.  These are not the bolt on variety and are riveted to the hub.  The only way to rectify this problem is to have the hub machined and a new sprocket welded on.  This tip was courtesy of the aforementioned Elder Statesman during my last visit.  Down the road for sure, but big dollars I simply don't have right now.   Cruising the CVMG classifieds, I saw a number of  Triumph Trophy 250 parts for sale/free from a member in Toronto.  I asked if he had a rear wheel , he did (sans brake plate and shoes) and was kind enough to send measurements.  I brought my rear frame and it was a lovely fit.  As it turns out, the wheel is actually from a BSA C15 or B40.  It has a giant 4.0 x 19 Dunlop trials tire (Made in England) that has probably been on it for 50 years.  He let me have it for the princely sum of $20.00 so I was extremely happy.  We chatted and he showed me his lovely Trophy that was having some teething problems, sadly I had little to offer in the way of help.  Thank you again Bruce for the lovely visit and the wheel!

I began looking for a brake plate and bought an incorrectly advertised one on Ebay.  Fortunately it was only $19.00 and arrived in a few days.  I was able to use a couple parts from it, so I decided to keep  it.  Another Britbike forum member came through with a nice plate for $15.00 plus shipping.

Needless to say this has been merciful to my budget thus far.  Not having access to my US mailbox, I had forgotten how brutal shipping costs to Canada are.  Hopefully things will return to normal soon.

Back to the wheel.

I mentioned the rather huge tire on the back.  A while ago I was given a NOS Pirelli MT53 tire that can be used on front or rear.  This tire is 3.5 x 19 and should work out a lot better.  That being said, that rear wheel does look rather good and  it was made for serious business!  It is just too big for this bike.

This BSA has been an excellent exercise so far and has allowed me to hone my new approach to building.  I am now organized and fit everything on before I start spending serious money.  I clean up and paint some parts such as the frame, but that would have had to be done anyway.  The Cub wheel incident was the last straw and a turning point in how I do things.  I keep the garage as clean as possible now and put tools back when they are no longer in use.  Sweeping at the end of the work day is now routine behavior.

If I can make what I have 'in stock' work, the time to find out is now, rather than assume it will work later.  That has caused me expense and heartache in the past and often left me buying parts I will likely never use.   When I bought the Matchless, I should have taken what I had and fitted it together from the start.  Instead, I started sending things out for blasting and powder coating before really knowing what the plan was.  As I look back on seven years worth of blog posts, I can see my pattern of failure.  Buy a project, get completely entrenched in it, spend money, get overwhelmed, lose interest and sell for a slight loss or break even sum.  While I have certainly made money here and there, that was never my goal. 

Seeing is truly believing and hindsight is what it is.  I can't change the past, but I can certainly change the future.

Until next Time.....

Ode to the BSA's I have owned (but never did anything with)...

With the BSA Covid project in full swing,  I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and revisit my rather checkered relationship with the marque.

First a little history.

My interest in vintage motorcycles began in the late 1980's but I didn't get the fever until a few years later.

The early 1990's gifted me with two memorable dalliances at the same time. One with the lovely Mary Jane and the other with the equally enchanting Miranda, the 1967 MG Midget.

Both were all too brief but left a lasting impression on me.  Being able to own and maintain a classic British car at the time wasn't feasible to say the least.  While I did have an MGB a decade later,  this may have been the path that truly led to bikes.


 I started with the 'The World of Motorcycles' progressing to several magazines on the subject such as Classic Bike and The Old Bike Journal.  I still have the very first issue of Classic Bike that I ever bought from the long gone Book Villa on King street in Hamilton.  It was August of 1994 with a buyer's guide included.

Once the magazines were in my hand, there was no turning back.  I had to have an old motorcycle and it had to be British.


Before the internet, bikes were a lot harder to find.  The only real resource was a thick, three part monthly classified newspaper called the 'Tri-Ad'.   The paper covered a fairly wide area and having no car at the time presented a multitude of challenges.

It was always exciting to flip through the vehicle section and see the listings.  Excitement however more often led to disappointment as the bike would be gone by the time you called or received a return call.

I will gloss over the many bikes I missed out on and get to the first that I remember looking at.

It was a 1968 or '69 BSA 250 Starfire like the one pictured.  The price was $600 dollars and it looked very clean and original.  There was some sort of issue with the piston and I was assured it was an easy fix.  I had the money (barely) and expressed interest.  I don't recall telling the buyer that it was a done deal or leaving a deposit of any kind.  Around this exact time one of the flatmates left, leaving my other flatmate and I short on utilities and rent.  I respectfully called the seller back to say that unfortunately I would be unable to buy the bike.  He did not take it well and proceeded to hurl a barrage of expletives at me.  I responded in kind and hung up on him.  This was the fall of 1995.

Fast forward to spring and I was on the hunt again.  This time I had more money saved, problem was there were no bikes.   I don't remember the how or the who involved but I was given a lead, a bike shop in Toronto called the Rocker Box.  The owner Doug gave me the number of another friend who had several projects for sale.  After admiring all his bikes, some of which I had only seen pictures of before I took the number and left.  The young lady I was seeing at the time had a van and was more than happy to make the hour plus drive with me.  I parted with $350.00 and came home with a 1964 BSA basket case B40.

Definitely not what I brought home!

I buggered about with it for a few months but really had no clue what I was doing.  The bike was certainly not complete which also caused some issues.  At this point I had an unquenchable thirst for a Triumph Twin from the 60's.  This time I was the guy in the Tri-Ad posting something for sale.  I sold the bike for what I paid for it and moved it on.  The fellow who bought it was a little strange and I was happy to see the tail end of him as he left the driveway.  One of those types that just had an awkward aura.  I remember rigorously washing my hands after the deal was done.   Several months later he called me to complain that the bike was not complete, inferring that I had somehow cheated him!  I reminded him that he inspected everything before purchasing and he paid what I paid.  I told him that should I find any B40 parts in my travels he would be the first to know.  That call has yet to be made.

I did get my Triumph twin, from the same fellow that sold me the B40.  It was retrieved with the same girl and the same van. I can remember that it took us a couple of hours to gather the parts from various sheds and a gigantic Quonset hut.  He must have had at least 300 motorcycles on the property.    The young lady had fallen asleep in the van passenger seat having made the drive after working the night before.  She received the shock of her life when his horse-sized great Dane jumped at the window and woke her up! 

  I have posted a picture of the Triumph before and will certainly gather my memories on that in a future post.  

Fast forward thirteen years or so to 2009.  The Tri-Ad was long gone and replaced with Kijiji and Craigslist.  I spotted a 60's BSA Lightning basket case for $600.00 and snapped it up.  I did very little with it other than order a gasket set and a couple of other parts.  The reason being that I was given a CB360 and I became the proud owner of a 2008 Triumph Scrambler named Katie.   I sat on the BSA for about six months before moving it on.  I had other things on the go and was thoroughly enjoying my shiny new bike at every opportunity.  

Not the exact bike, but pretty close.

Summer of 2018.  I had just sold the Beetle and my garage was looking empty.  Bills were paid and I had some money left over.  Enter Kijiji once again.  I spotted a C15 bundle for $800.00 (with ownership) and decide to jump on it.  The bikes were in rural Quebec and in retrospect I think it was more of an excuse to take a road trip.  I must have known that these wouldn't be kept as I chose not to write about it here.  I did get one rolling however and picked up a few bits and pieces.  They are sweet little bikes and have lots of potential.  I have seen many used as trials bikes, baby cafe bikes and in the case of one Craig Jones, bobbed.  This one was sold the following January to a retired enthusiast who I recently 'bumped' into on Facebook.  He is still working on it and making everything right.  

I should note that it wasn't until 2014 that I had access to a proper garage.  Prior to this I worked in alleyways, backyards, kitchens, apartments and basements.  I have also bought and sold at least a couple dozen 'other' bikes over the years as well. 

I do have a few pictures of this one.

Rather unbelievably, someone cut the front end off to use on a trike!

Last summer I paid a couple hundred dollars for a wrecked 1970 Starfire. When I got it, I realized very quickly it had been in a fire.  I had a picture, though I have no idea what happened to it.  This poor beast was shuffled on a scant month or so later for the amount that I paid for it.  "That is the end of BSA's and the end of impulse buys for me!"  I foolishly stated.

Never say Never.

Until next time!

Support your local Elder Statesman.....

 Elder Statesman:

noun-

an influential citizen, often a retired high official, whose advice is sought by government leaders.

any influential member of a company, group, etc., whose advice is respected.

About a month ago, I was having a somewhat miserable weekend.  Those of you who work on old bikes and cars will understand immediately.  It was the sort of of day where the best laid plans all unravel; Parts you thought would fit don't fit; that 'I only have one of these left' piece falls from the bench and shatters.  The sort of day that can cause one to lose faith and want to pack it all in. 

The frame had been freshly painted green for this mock up.

I was certainly the author of my own misfortune that day. Lacking a front wheel for the BSA project, I thought I could get away with fitting one from a Triumph Cub.  I found out (naturally) that the wheel spindle was too narrow for the forks.  Then I had a second 'brainwave'.  Take the narrower top and bottom C11 yokes from the big pile and mount the forks and wheel that way.

Perhaps I am being a bit hard on myself as the set up in the photos above looked acceptable.   I spent the day cleaning up the Cub wheel, grinding off rust with a wire wheel and filling pits with metal stick epoxy.  I then sanded everything smoothly, coated with rust paint and went to put on my 'golden boy' Shinko tire.  As a side note, I really like the look of these, I am told they are made from old Yokohama and Pirelli molds. 

Wouldn't you know it, the rim strips I ordered were 21" instead of 19!  Bugger, I thought however it was certainly not 'bugger'  which was said aloud!  I then proceeded to take some fabric tape off the shelf and wrapped it around the rim.  I mounted the tire and tube only to end up with not one, but two punctures.   After some further choice words, the tube was ripped from the tire and thrown in the bin.  I decided to soldier on and attempt to fit the wheel anyway.  I am not sure what prevented me from measuring this mess before I dug in.  Long story short, it was evident that this harebrained scheme would not come to fruition.   I left the garage to ponder my next move, which should have been obvious from the get go.  Call the local BSA man. 

I will admit that I am very hesitant to call up people and ask for parts or guidance.  I have a bad habit of assuming that I'm being a nuisance or that I am infringing on privacy.  The BSA man, who is in his eighties still rides and restores bikes.  When I first visited his garage my jaw nearly hit the floor looking at all of his spectacular builds.   He made a point to tell me that each bike was built from parts and few had matching numbers.  He was quietly proud of his work and rightfully so.  Rivet counters be damned!   He is also a member of my local branch of the vintage group and lives about 15 minutes away.  I called and left him a voicemail which he returned within an hour or so.  He had a correct wheel with decent tire for the paltry sum of $100.00.  

I looked forward to seeing him and much of my anxiety about being something of a bike building failure dissipated when I entered his shop.  I looked around a little and we chatted some.  He had no problem with me looking closely at his lovely '47 B31 and taking mental notes.  I let it slip that I had been having a frustrating time as of late.  Without missing a beat he said 'You've got too much stuff in that garage of yours.  You need to get the bikes on wheels and the rest will follow'.  Simple but sage words.  Not wanting to dither, I took my leave.  The BSA man's words ringing in my ears.  

I spent the next week and weekend purging the garage.  I gave away three tote bins worth of goods and gathered several bags of garbage, recyclables and hazardous waste to go to the local transfer station.  I moved things around and organized.  I swept and bought more little storage shelves for sundries.  I reorganized my solvent shelves and my tools.  I then looked at the 'new' workspace from the driveway in a state of disbelief.  

It was as if I had just moved to a new property, the difference was absolutely staggering.  Since then I have been able to find what I am looking for, I have been able to work and move freely as can the rest of the family.  

Those simple powerful words from the outside were exactly what I needed to hear. 

My advice to any reading this is to cast aside your ego and seek out those elder statesmen.  Listen and learn for you are not a nuisance; you are a torch bearer.  

My deepest thanks to the BSA man, I look forward to meeting with you again. 

Until next time..... 

Matchless update!

Matchless, I have not forgotten thee!

This is the final mock up of the G9 and an idea of how she will look, minus a couple surprise pieces!

My smaller forks and front end were removed and put on my friend's '49 AJS (which is coming along nicely).  Thanks to bike builder extraordinaire Goldy, (as he is known on many bike forums) I now have an excellent pair of conrods for the engine.  I am waiting on an extractor from England in order to replace the main bearings which I have at hand.

Some may note a different tail light and much smaller headlight from earlier configurations; I was playing around and this works much better with the overall look and feel.  By the end, I unconsciously built a 50's California custom street scrambler and I have no complaints!  My friend down the road (and one town over) provided me the alloy Tail light for free.  I installed a NOS Sparto lens I had been saving for a special occasion.  The headlamp (not the one pictured) is an old KD with a 5 3/4 Lucas lens.  The seat was bought for $20.00 on Ebay, and recovered with marine vinyl.  The front mudguard is an AMC item and came with the original haul of parts.  The rear is for a Royal Enfield Bullet.

I ended up sending the single side hubs to the '49 AJS and going with the full width wheels. I was very hesitant to do this originally as I didn't like the look.  They have certainly grown on me since.

I will attempt to document some of the rebuild and provide more detailed photos soon.  Project Covid has lots of updates as well, so stay tuned!

Until next time.......